The two key initiatives are:
Strategic Outreach – This includes a pro-active effort to identify the most vulnerable people living on the streets and connect them with permanent housing and services. This will be done through the following efforts:
- Count – Survey a specific area of the city in order to define the needs of the people on the streets.
- Care – Provide intensive support services and case management through existing homeless services.
- Connect – Connect people into permanent housing linked with support services.
Community Engagement – This includes encouraging community groups and individuals to participate in the effort to address homelessness.
- Implement a public education and awareness campaign that explains the causes of homelessness and the needs of the homeless people.
- Develop a move-in assistance program where the community groups help homeless people move into apartments.
- Develop an alternative panhandling campaign where visitors and residents are encourage to support homeless programs rather that give money directly to people on the streets.
- Develop a return home program where homeless people from other cities and states have a way to return to their lives.
Co-led by Joel Roberts, CEO of Path Partners, and Martha Long, Director Emeritus Community Relations of Mental Health America of Los Angeles, Connections is a group of stakeholders that consists of: the City of Long Beach, homeless service and housing agencies, Police and Fire Departments, California State University Long Beach, local hospitals, faith groups, business groups and residents.
The group will be assisted by Common Ground (www.commonground.org) an international leader in the development of solutions to homelessness. Founded by MacArthur and Ashoka Fellow Rosanne Haggerty in 1990, Common Ground is a pioneer in the development of supportive housing and other research-based practices that end homelessness. Their philosophy of establishing a network of well designed, affordable apartments — linked to the services people need to maintain their housing, restore their health, and regain their economic independence has been very successful in other communities. Common Ground’s methodology and Vulnerability Index TM will be used to identify those most at risk of dying on the street and work will begin to place these individuals into housing with services.
The project’s boundaries are as follows: southern boundary is the ocean, northern boundary is Anaheim Street, western boundary is LA River and the eastern boundary is Alamitos. The group will begin by surveying the area to define the needs of the people living on the streets.
The group is beginning to recruit between 80 and 100 volunteers to assist with interviewing homeless individuals utilizing a questionnaire that will help assess a person’s risk factors.
The survey will take place between 5 and 7:30 am on July 21, 22 and 23. Volunteers are required to attend a brief training session on Monday, July 20 from 3 until 5 pm at the First Baptist Church of Long Beach. Volunteers will learn more about how the homeless survey will be conducted and how they will spend their time.
For additional information or to volunteer, please contact Grace Yi, Path Partners at 323/644-2213 or gracey@epath.org.
